


Hey, Babybird

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Canon Divergent, College Age AU, I'm a slut for literature boss jason, M/M, Tim and Jason have no idea about each other's identities, Tim's dad sucks as per usual, abstract reference to depression, mostly because I didn't have the energy to write it, references to sex but it doesn't actually happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 10:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7264045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim has no idea who's under the Red Hood helmet and Jason has no idea who's under the Red Robin cowl. However, the two of them meet up in a college literature class and out on patrol. They work well together, at least Tim thinks so. But when Tim gets into a serious bind with the possibility of failing his lit class and being forced back home and under his father's roof, Tim is desperate and willing to get anyone to tutor him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey, Babybird

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pikachunicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikachunicorn/gifts).



> So, I frantically wrote this last night after finding out it was Shipping-the-mutants/Pikachunicorn 's birthday today! 
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAVE AN 8,000 WORD FANFICTION!!! Lol, because I can't be there in person and give you real-life love, have some internet love. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, because I had a lot of fun writing it, even if there were some parts that were written while I was half-asleep because time zones. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 :* MOLIM

                “Hey, Babybird.”

                Tim rolled his eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to show.”

                Red Hood scoffed and stepped up next to Tim, technically Red Robin, and surveyed the area surrounding the warehouse they were standing on. “It’s not like I missed anything yet. There was plenty of time for me to take care of other matters and get to you.”

                “Yes, I’m sure your girlfriend is a very important matter,” he said, shoving the binoculars into Hood’s chest.

                Hood slung an arm around Tim’s waist and pulled him close. “My girlfriend _is_ an important matter and he’s currently in my arms so I can’t complain.”

                Tim elbowed Hood in the chest and stepped away when his arm went slack. “Please. You wish I would even consider being your boyfriend.”

                “You’re the only one for me, baby. I swear-“ Hood’s reply was cut off when an explosion successfully leveled the building across from them.

                “Shit,” Tim swore and fired his grapple and swung over to one of the opposite buildings. The one that had been bombed was supposed to have a drug ring meeting, but Tim hadn’t seen anyone go in or out. He grappled to the ground and walked around where the fire was raging on some exposed pieces of wood. He didn’t see any bodies or hear anyone call for help. Red Hood joined him a moment later.

                “Find anything?” he asked, following Tim’s lead and searching what was left of the building.

                “Noth-“ Tim saw movement out of his peripheral vision and turned just in time to witness a man turn at the end of a side street. Without offering any explanation, Tim shot his grapple and took to the roofs, following the direction the man had taken.

                Hood managed to catch up to him as he jumped from one rooftop to the next. The two continued their sprint, making the necessary changes in direction when required, and gaining precious distance on the target. Tim saw that they were nearing the edge of the buildings and approaching open space. Rather than slow down, he sped up, barely catching the disgruntled sound that came from Hood. He grinned, hoping that the other man would enjoy his trick.

                Tim launched himself from the rooftop and pulled at the edges of his cape. The material stiffened in the wind and became taught, allowing him to become airborne and steer towards the runaway. Tim didn’t bother slowing down and used the momentum that he’d picked up to push the man to the ground and pin him. It wasn’t his most graceful landing, but he wasn’t trying to be particularly graceful and the body below him had taken the brunt of the impact.

                Tim pulled a ziptie from his utility belt and bound the man’s wrists before he was able to regain his senses. He heard Hood come running across the pavement towards him and stood. Tim pushed the man onto his back with his foot as he waited for the other vigilante to reach him.

                “Holy shit! Holy shit, Red! Why didn’t you tell me you could do that?!”

                Tim grinned at Hood who was practically vibrating with excitement. “I’m still doing some testing with controlling speed and direction, as well as landings, but I thought it would be a good preliminary field test.”

                Hood became very still and Tim suddenly felt uneasy. He raised one of his hands and smacked Tim on the shoulder.

                “Ow! What was that for?”

                “What was that for?! That was for you-could’ve-fucking-died-because-you-decided-to-jump-off-a-building-for-a-spontaneous-field-test!”

                Tim scowled. “It’s not like I had no idea if it would work or not. I’ve run the calculations and other tests on the success rate.”

                Hood just crossed his arms and stared at Tim. Well, Tim assumed he was staring. He couldn’t really tell with the helmet and all.

                “Whatever.” Tim turned back to the criminal who he’d taken down, and was currently staring at the two of them. “We have work to do.”

 

~

 

                Tim groaned and pulled himself out of bed at the sound of his alarm. He shut the noise off and shuffled around his dorm room, collecting the things that he’d need for the day. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before stuffing his computer and several books into his backpack. Tim slipped his feet into converse and picked up his wallet and his phone. He’d had a late night with patrol since he’d have to take cut later in the week for a literature test that he was in no way prepared for.

                Tim sighed as he walked out of his dorm room, briefly eyeing the room at the end of the hallway where a certain someone lived. He adjusted the shoulder straps of his backpack and moved in the opposite direction. He’d see him in class after all. In the one class where Tim actually struggled and made himself look like an idiot. It wasn’t his fault that he just wasn’t that good with literature. He tried, he really did, but he never understood all of the symbolism and real-world meaning that books came with. Why couldn’t the authors just say what they wanted to mean?

                It also didn’t help that one of the most attractive men that he’d ever met was in that class with him and absolutely brilliant with the material. Tim would never understand how Jason Todd knew so much about books and literature. Honestly, he was like a walking library.

                Tim stopped briefly at the campus Starbucks and got himself the largest coffee possibly with the most shots of espresso he could manage to get them to put in without looking concerned. It was six. He’d tried to get more one time, but had received so many looks that worried after his health that he had to settle for an okay-but-not-enough level of caffeine today. Tim shrugged it off and continued to his class. If he was going to be trying to dissect literature, he was definitely going to need the caffeine.

 

~

 

                Tim fidgeted in his seat, desperately trying to not look at the beautiful human being that was sitting a few seats away. It seriously had to be illegal for someone to look like that. He had to ignore the impulse though. He needed to pay attention to what the professor was saying. They were reviewing for the exam they’d have later that week and Tim couldn’t afford to not pass.

                Tim hissed as something sharp connected with his shin. A few people gave him curious looks, but thankfully the professor didn’t notice. Tim looked sharply at his best friend, Stephanie, who was sitting next to him and giving him a warning look.

                “If you don’t pay attention, you’re going to fail,” she hissed.

                “I know!” he whispered harshly.

                “So pay attention.”

                Tim sighed and turned his attention back to the front of the room, trying to absorb as much information about T.S. Eliot as possible.

 

~

 

                “You should really just talk to him, you know.”

                Tim gave Steph a look that questioned all of the things she’s ever stood for and believed in. “You can’t be serious?”

                “I’m absolutely serious, Tim!” she said, throwing up her hands. “You stare at him all the time because he’s cute, you practically drool over what comes out of his mouth every time he speaks, and he does the same to you. Just ask to talk to him. You don’t even have to ask him out on a date. Just ask if he wants to catch lunch together.”

                Tim slouched forward and crossed his arms. “You’re delusional. There’s no way that he’d ever be interested in me. He probably just stares at me like I’m crazy because I never manage to say anything intelligent in class.”

                Steph sighed, but didn’t respond, knowing she’d never be able to talk some sense into him. “Anyway, how’s the hottie at work?”

                Tim gaped at his friend. “He’s not a hottie. I don’t even know what he looks like. I’m not interested in him anyway. All he does is cling to me.”

                “You don’t have to see his face. Are you kidding me, he’s ripped?! His uniform fits him like a glove and he’s not just clinging to you. He’s flirting with you.”

                “I don’t know. Even if I did have an interest in him, I’d feel conflicted over how I feel about Jason.”

                “There is such a thing as polyamory, you know.”

                “I know, I know. And I’m not discrediting that at all, I just don’t think I’m polyamorous.”

                Steph shrugged and observed Tim. “Well, that’s something that you’re going to have to figure out for yourself.”

 

~

 

                Tim hunched over as the wind whipped at his cape. He rubbed furiously at his face and wished that he could take his domino off instead of enduring the feeling of tears seeping through around the spirit gum that was keeping his mask in place. Tim thought numbly that he probably should’ve skipped patrol, but holing himself up in his dorm room would’ve been that much worse. He would’ve felt miserable without being able to work out his frustrations.

                Tim curled up further when he heard the sound of boots on the gravel rooftop.

                “Babybird?” Hood questioned behind him. “Is everything alright?”

                Tim sniffed. “Everything’s fine. I’ll be fine.” His voice sounded rough and thick with emotion. He curled in on himself further, hoping that Hood would just go away. No such luck.

                Hood came over and sat down next to him, throwing an arm over his shoulder that had Tim tensing. “You can talk to me about it.”

                Tim laughed bitterly. “Is that really such a good idea?”

                “You don’t have to name names. Just tell me what’s going on. After all, we don’t know each other, so what’re the consequences of me knowing about the shit that you’re going through?”

                Tim sniffed again and just shrugged. Silence fell between the two of them as Tim contemplated Hood’s offer. He bit his lip, building his courage.

                “It’s sort of a combination of things I suppose.” Tim sighed and rubbed at his face again, really wishing that he could take the domino off. “It has to do with my Dad and this literature class that I have to take at school. I’m really not that great when it comes to abstract things like books or poems so it’s a tough class for me and I’m not doing as well in it as I’ve done in my other classes. We have an exam coming up and I’m really worried that I’m going to fail and I just really need the credit so that I don’t have to retake the class and struggle through it again.

                “Then there’s my Dad. He pretty much demands perfection in everything that I do. It’s been like that since I was little and he expects me to bring home really good grades and be at the top of my class and all this other shit. So, he’s really not happy with how I’m doing in the class and he’s threatening to cut back on some of the stuff that he’s helping me with such as paying for college. He says that he won’t pay for me to live on campus anymore since we’re not too far away from the school as it is and I should have no problem commuting.”

                Tim could feel the tears welling up again and he bowed his head. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I can’t go back there, Hood. I can’t go back to that house. I won’t be able to see my friends and I’m worried that he’ll monitor me like he used to do and I won’t be able to patrol. I just can’t. I can’t do that again.” Tim fisted his hand in his hair as a broken sob left him.

                Hood tightened his grip around Tim and pulled him into his lap. Tim buried his head in Hood’s chest and sobbed openly, not caring that he didn’t know this man or that he might be seen by someone else or that he was supposed to be patrolling.

                “Shh, Red. It’ll be okay, I promise. If I have anything to do with it, you’ll never have to go back to that place ever again.”

                Tim hiccupped. “What can you do about it?”

                “I’m actually really good with literature. I can help you study or review with you while we’re out on patrol this week. You still have a few days before the exam, right?”

                “Yeah,” Tim said, quietly.

                Hood gave Tim’s back a few more rubs before giving him one final squeeze. “Then I guess we better get to it.” He stood, helping Tim up with him. “Now, what’s this exam over?”

 

~

 

                Tim couldn’t believe how much Hood knew about literature and poets. If he was betting on it, Tim would say the other man knew pretty much everything about every major author in existence. The past few nights had been filled with review after review. At points Tim thought that his head was going to explode, but he got through it and even felt like he’d learned something.

                Tim had just finished the exam, surprisingly he wasn’t the last one done this time and was fidgeting nervously in the hallway waiting for Steph. He felt like he did a decent enough job to pass, but wasn’t actually sure if that meant he passed. Tim knew that until he got his final grade he was going to be a bundle of nerves. This was one of the few chances he had left before the final to raise his grade and he knew that he’d have to work even harder to ensure he got a passing grade on the culminating exam of the semester.

                “I can’t believe how quickly you finished!” Steph said, bouncing up to him.

                Tim stopped biting his fingernails and looked up at her. “Yeah. I just hope that I passed.”

                His friend slung an arm around his shoulders. The action reminding him of the way Hood would treat him out on patrol. “I’m sure that you did. You have nothing to worry about. Even if the grade isn’t as good as you’d like it to be, there’s still the final exam that you can use to raise your grade.”

                Tim nodded absentmindedly. He hadn’t told Steph about what his Father had said. If he didn’t maintain a passing grade, he’d be utterly fucked and moving out of the dorms at the end of the fall semester. His stomach flipped nervously as the two of them left the academic building and headed towards the dining hall and Tim was certain that he probably wouldn’t be eating much.

 

~

 

                Tim was being rather reckless during patrol, but he didn’t care. He had far too much pent up energy and if he hit someone just a little harder than necessary or jumped off a building without thinking, then who could judge him? Tim had just finished beating up a group of gang members and had crawled back to the roof feeling a little sorer than he probably should have. They’d managed to get a few good punches in that he knew he should’ve been able to block, but he really didn’t care.

                Tim heard someone cluck their tongue. “Just what do you think you’re doing, Babybird?” Hood asked from behind him.

                Tim groaned and sprawled out on the roof. “I have too much energy. I had my exam today and I’m nervous about my grade.”

                Hood came and sat down next to Tim. “I’m sure that you did fine. But reckless behavior isn’t going to get you your grade faster. How do you think that you did, anyway?”

                Tim propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Hood. “I think I passed, but I still don’t know it it’s going to be good enough. I’ll need to at least pass the final exam as well to hope to come out of the class with some modicum of success.”

                Hood leaned over Tim. “I could think of one way to work out your frustrations, if you know what I mean.”

                Tim made a face and pushed Hood’s helmet away from him. “I don’t think so. After all, if I let you get into my pants now, you’ll never help me study for my final.”

                Hood chuckled and pulled Tim towards him. “So if I help you study and you pass the class, does that mean I get you naked and in my bed as a reward?”

                Tim tried to suppress the shiver that ran up his spine, but knew he’d failed. He pulled away from Hood and got to his feet. “Perhaps we can work something out,” he said, smirking. Tim left Hood speechless where he sat and turned. He ran and jumped for the next rooftop, chuckling once he finally heard Hood scramble to his feet and chase after him.

 

~

 

                “Steph, stop! I am not doing that!” Tim continued to voice his protests even as Steph pushed him down the hallway.

                “You just need to knock on his door and ask him to help you study,” she said, gritting her teeth and forcing Tim closer to the door.

                “No!” He whirled around, facing her. “It’ll look creepy for me to show up at his door in the first place. I can just ask him after class to help me.”

                Steph crossed her arms and stared at Tim. He heard the knob on the door start to turn behind him. Tim looked at Steph with a horrified expression on his face, before darting into the stairwell and up to the roof. He pushed through the door and slammed it shut behind him. Tim thought about how he’d just left Steph there and winced. He supposed he could’ve just played it off as though they were having an argument, but what was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to act normal in front of Jason of all people?

                Tim turned around and faced the door. If anything, Jason wasn’t going to just hang out in the hallway. Tim probably could’ve just hidden in the stairwell. He reached out and turned the handle, only to find that the door wasn’t budging. He pulled at it frantically, feeling despair well up inside him. Great, now he was stuck on the roof. Well, he wasn’t exactly stuck, Tim was sure that he’d easily be able to find a way down.

                Tim left the door and walked over to the side of the roof where the fence was. He leaned on the fence and contemplated what he was going to do. He thought about calling Steph, but she would probably just laugh at him for getting himself into the situation. Tim hung his head and groaned.

                “You know, you probably should’ve thought about how you were going to get back inside before coming up here.”

                Tim turned and found Jason standing in the doorway. “Yeah. That definitely wasn’t my best move,” he said, making a face.

                “Look, your friend told me that you’ve been struggling in our lit class and could really use a tutor to help get through the end of the semester and pass the final. I wouldn’t mind helping you out if you need it. I’m an English major so it’s really no trouble.”

                Tim leaned up against the fence. “You’d seriously help me out?” he asked, incredulous.

                 “Yeah. Like I said, it’s no trouble and I’m already helping tutor someone else so the review will be good for me as well.”

                Tim just stared at Jason for a few minutes thinking there was no way this guy could be real. Jason started to fidget since Tim wasn’t saying anything. It made Tim smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

                Jason grinned. “Great! Now, how about some lunch?” he asked, pushing the door open wider for Tim.

 

~

 

                Tim stared down at the Blue Book that was sitting in front of him. This had to be a mistake. There was no way that he’d improved that much from his review sessions with Hood. Tim continued to stare down at his exam while waving at Steph hoping to get her attention. He managed to smack her in the arm.

                “What the hell, Tim?!” she asked.

                “Steph…oh my god…I can’t believe…” Tim trailed off and shoved the Blue Book at her. “Please tell me I’m not hallucinating!”

                Steph took his exam and grinned widely at him. “Tim, you are most definitely not hallucinating! And if you are, then I’m hallucinating with you.”

                Tim returned her smile and started giggling happily. “I can’t believe that I got a 79%! I think I might actually be able to pass the class after all with the help of my tutors.”

                Steph handed the book back to him. “I knew you could do it, Tim! And you’ll be able to pass the final, too! If both of your tutors are as good as you say they are, you shouldn’t have any difficulties. Maybe you’ll even get double the reward for doing well,” she said, wagging her eyebrows.

                Tim covered his face and felt himself flush. “Oh my god, Steph, please stop!”

                Steph just pat him on the back in a form of mock comfort. “Sorry, Tim, but you’ll have to kill me first.”

 

~

 

                Tim could barely contain his excitement when he’d suited up for patrol. He was actually really looking forward to telling Hood how he’d done on his exam. They’d developed a routine by this point where they met up at least once each night for a break. Sometimes they would spend part of patrol together or spend all of patrol together, covering both of their areas and taking down bigger groups than they normally would on their own. It was a nice partnership and Tim was happy to have it. He might even go so far as to call them sort-of friends.

                “Hey, Babybird!” Tim grinned at hearing Hood’s greeting behind him. He turned quickly and launched himself at the other man who was quick to catch him in his arms. “Now this is my type of greeting! Although, I do think that a kiss would be better, but what’s got you so excited to see me, Red?”

                Tim looked up at Hood and grinned. “I got my exam back today.”

                “And?” the other man prompted.

                “I passed! It’s not as good as it could be, but a 79% is better than nothing.”

                Hood gave a happy shout and spun Tim around since he was still in his arms. “I knew you could do it, baby! We’ll have you passing this class with no problem.”

                Tim laughed and hugged Hood that much tighter. “If I keep this up I won’t have to move back home. I’ll be able to stay at school with my friends and patrol and…thank you. It really means a lot to me. What you’re doing.”

                Hood squeezed him back. “Hey, this is as much for you as it is for me. I can’t even consider losing my Babybird, now can I?”

                Tim chuckled. “I guess not.”

 

~

 

                Tim looked down at the review guide and struggled to stay focused and listen to what Jason was saying. The two of them were in a private study room with an open box of pizza between them and books scattered pretty much everywhere and open to various pages as reference.

                “Okay, Tim. Do you think you have a pretty decent grasp of _Beowulf_ now?” Jason asked, wrapping up his explanation.

                “I think so. Reading it a second time definitely helped me to understand what happened in the story,” Tim offered hesitantly. He certainly felt like he had a better grasp on the material, but he wasn’t too confident in his abilities.

                Jason sat back in his chair. “All right, then. Why did Grendel’s mother attack the Danes?”

                Tim fidgeted in his seat. “Umm…because she was angry that Beowulf killed Grendel?”

                Jason smiled. “Correct. Why is Beowulf able to fight Grendel?”

                “Because Hrothgar had done a favor for Beowulf’s father and Beowulf offers to defeat the demon to repay him for that,” Tim said, growing more confident.

                “Correct again. Last question and then we’ll move on. How does Beowulf die?”

                “While fighting to defeat the dragon that had been awoken by a thief, he was bitten by the dragon and the venom killed him.”

                Jason grinned. “Excellent job, Tim. Let’s move on the next poem, shall we?”

                Tim bit his lip and turned back to his copy of the _Norton Anthology_ that was sitting open in front of him.

 

~

 

                Tim groaned. “My brain is seriously fried, Hood.”

                “Come on, Babybird. This is the last one. Get this question right and you can finally punch this fucker in the face.” Hood emphasized his point by shaking the criminal that he was currently holding up by the collar.

                Tim rubbed his forehead. He could feel the beginnings of a headache settling in. “Okay, okay. _The Canterbury Tales._ In the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, Chaunticleer is able to free himself from the fox, because…um…”

                “Come on, Red. I know you can do it. It’s your last question of the night.”

                Tim snapped his fingers. “He was able to escape because he tricked the fox into opening his mouth.”

                “Yes!” Hood cheered. “Now, punch this fucker in the face.”

                Tim did the next best thing and kicked him in the groin. Criminals should really learn to start wearing jock straps. He left Hood to ziptie the group and made his way up to the nearest roof. Tim sat down heavily and rubbed at his forehead. He really should start to carry some aspirin with him if he was going to get headaches from reviewing so much.

                “You okay, babe?” Hood asked, taking the space next to him.

                Tim had no idea when he’d become so comfortable with the pet names that Hood gave him, but he didn’t really have the energy to complain about it at the moment. “Headache. I think it’s all the reviewing that I’ve been doing to make sure that I pass this class. Couple that with patrol and I haven’t exactly been getting a lot of sleep.”

                Hood leaned into Tim’s space. “You know what a great pain reliever is? An orgasm.”

                Tim rolled his eyes and pushed Hood away. “Yeah, whatever. You’re still not getting into my pants.”

                Hood moved to sit behind Tim and started giving him a back massage to work out the tension in his shoulders. “But seriously though, you should rest for a day and get some sleep. Eat some good food and take a break. You’ve earned it with all of the work you’ve put in and it’s not going to do you any good if you run yourself into the ground.”

                Tim leaned back into Hood’s chest, forcing the other man to stop his back massage. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist and hugged him close. Tim sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I’m just really worried that I’m going to fail.”

                “You’re not going to fail, Red. You’ve been working really hard and have improved each night we’ve been out here. It’s okay to take a rest day every once and awhile. No one’s going to look down on you for it. And if you like, I could join you. Bring some wine, a movie, maybe a pizza. We can roll around in the sheets and get nice and acquainted with each other.”

                Tim huffed out a laugh. “Nice try, Hood.”

                The more Tim thought about it, though, the more spending personal time with Hood didn’t sound so bad.

 

~

 

                Tim woke up feeling like shit. He ached. His head hurt. He was congested. And he. Could. Not. Stop. Coughing. Tim rolled over and pulled his phone from where it was on the bedside table. It was well past noon, meaning he’d slept in fat later than he meant to, not that he was caring. It was a Saturday which meant he didn’t have classes and could stay in bed all day. He scrolled through the several missed texts from Steph and sent her a reply saying that he just woke up and was feeling like shit.

                Tim found that he had another one from Jason asking if they were good to study today. He knew that he would not be able to focus with how bad he felt and didn’t want to risk getting Jason sick anyway. Tim sent him a message explaining that he woke up feeling horrible and wouldn’t be able to meet. He rolled over and burrowed underneath the covers with his phone. He tried telling himself it would be so he wouldn’t have to move to retrieve it, but who was Tim kidding? He was just hoping for a reply from Jason.

                Tim’s phone vibrated in his grasp and he tried to quell the hope that was rising in his chest. He opened up his messenger and grinned. Jason had actually texted him back. Tim shouldn’t feel this pleased since the other man was just inquiring after his health, but he was happy. He was happy Jason cared.

                Tim briefly wondered about Hood. He obviously wasn’t going out on patrol tonight as much as he hated it. He didn’t even want to get out of bed let alone swing from rooftop to rooftop and beat up criminals. Tim looked back down at his phone and told Jason how he was feeling and that he’d probably be back on his feet in a couple days.

                Tim snuggled deeper into his cocoon of warmth. His eyes began to drift close almost against his will. He tried to keep them open in case Jason texted him back, but it was a losing battle.

 

~

 

                Tim awoke to a gentle knocking on his door. He groaned and sat up, clutching at his throbbing head. “Just a minute,” he croaked, throwing the blankets off his body. Tim stood and shuffled over to the door, not knowing who had bothered to show up. He pulled open the door to find Jason standing there with several brown paper bags in his arms.

                Jason smiled, sheepishly. “Hi,” he said shifting nervously.

                Tim just stared at him for a few moments. “Oh! Hi. Uh…what are you doing here?”

                “Well you said you were sick and I thought you could use some medicine and maybe something to eat?” Jason looked past Tim and into his room. “Do you mind if I come in?”

                Tim continued to stare at him, not even believing what was right in front of his face. “Right! Yeah. Come on in,” he said, stepping aside.

                Jason strode through the doorway and settled down in the middle of the floor. Tim shut his door and walked back to the bed. He wrapped himself in the comforter and joined Jason who was pulling several containers out of the bags.

                “I have this funny tradition that whenever I get sick I order Indian food. I didn’t know what you would like so I brought a little bit of everything. And lots of naan. I also brought some medicine for cough and congestion. Hope you don’t mind. And I thought if you were feeling up to it, maybe a movie or two?” Jason looked nervous over that last request.

                Tim smiled softly. “Thanks, Jay. I really appreciate it.”

                Jason just grinned at him and started pulling open containers. He handed Tim a plate and the two of them started in on the food. Even though he wouldn’t be able to do much, Tim thought this was the best thing he could ever ask for while being sick.

 

~

 

                Tim stood, overlooking Gotham, nervously. It’d been a couple of days since he’d been out on patrol. The worst of his sickness was over now and he’d enjoyed his time with Jason. The other man had taken really good care of him. He brought Tim food and entertained him when he really didn’t have to. Tim just hoped that Red Hood wouldn’t be too mad that he’d missed patrol the past couple of nights. He’d had no way to get in touch with him after all.

                “Hey there, Babybird,” came the usual greeting.

                Tim sniffled. The cool night air was already starting to get to him and his sinuses. “Hey Hood.”

                “You don’t sound too good there. What’s up?”

                Tim turned to face him. “I’ve been sick the past couple of days. Missed a few nights of patrol because of it.”

                Hood put his hands on his hips and walked over. “I told you, you were going to get sick from working so hard and not taking care of yourself.”

                Tim smiled. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get going.”

                “Okay, mister, you can patrol, but you _will_ go in early.”

                Tim rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Hood.”

               

~

 

                Tim felt the stress building as he neared the end of the semester. He was doing fine in most of his classes, but his nerves were on edge due to that stupid literature class he had to take. Tim’s current grade wasn’t too bad. It was passing which means his Dad couldn’t get pissed over it because he said he only needed to pass. But that still meant that he had to do well on the final.

                Tim’s life became nothing but studying and reviewing for the next exam. Writing the next paper or completing the next mock report. Patrolling and reviewing or sleeping. Half the time, Tim wasn’t sure how he was actually alive, but coffee did work wonders.

                Tim was currently staring at the projector screen where his lit professor was working on helping the students review for the upcoming final. He was going to pass this even if it killed him. If he died then he’d make sure he came back to life and then be able to keep his place at school and his night job as Red Robin. He’d make Jason and Hood proud and all of their efforts to help him study worth it. He’d owe both of them big time for this.

                Tim rubbed at his eyes as his vision blurred. He looked at his watch to see there were only ten more minutes of class left. He had enough time between classes today that he could take a nap. But he didn’t have time to take a nap. Tim thought back to what Hood had told him several weeks ago before he’d gotten sick and that he needed to get sleep to make sure he was actually retaining the information he was studying. Even though he’d probably feel guilty about it, Tim thought he might need to listen to Hood on this one. After all, he was right about getting sick last time and Tim had chosen to ignore his advice.

 

~

 

                Tim was a ball of anxious energy. His lit final was tomorrow and he was out on patrol not studying. He shouldn’t have come out tonight. He should have stayed home and studied to make sure that he was going to pass the next day. He couldn’t afford to not pass. He couldn’t have everything that he’d worked so hard for be taken away from him. He needed to-

                “Hey Babybird!” Hood broke into his thoughts cheerfully.

                Tim made a disgruntled sound and continued to pace back and forth across the rooftop that he’d taken to.

                “Woah there!” Hood jumped in front of him, blocking his path. “Everything all right?”

                Tim tugged at his hair in frustration. “My lit final’s tomorrow and I know I’m going to fail.”

                Hood gently pulled Tim’s hands away from his head. “You’re not going to fail, okay? You’ve been working hard for weeks, studying and reviewing. Trust me. You aren’t going to fail.”

                Tim tried to pull away from Hood’s grasp, but was held firmly. He leaned his head against Hood’s chest. “There’s just so much at stake. If I fail…”

                “You aren’t going to fail,” Hood murmured. “And if you do, I’m going to fight tooth and nail to get you out of that house. You don’t deserve to go back there. Hell, you never deserved to experience it in the first place and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you suffer. Okay?”

                “Okay.” Hood dropped Tim’s hands and Tim wrapped his arms around Hood, holding him close. “I really hope you’re right. I wouldn’t be able to bear losing everything that I have now. I used to think that I was doing all right, but now I know I was just surviving and going through the motions. Now, I’m living and doing what I want to do instead of what’s expected of me. If I lose everything that I have now, I won’t have anything that’ll make life worth living.”

                Hood wrapped his arms around Tim and brought him close. “Don’t think like that. You will pass your final. You will pass your lit class. And you’ll come back to tell me all about it, Babybird. And then, I’ll finally get to strip you out of that fine suit and get you in my bed.”

                Tim made an indignant sound and tried to pull away, but Hood wasn’t letting him get away that easily. He chuckled at Tim’s discomfort.

 

~

 

                Tim turned in his final exam and left feeling completely serene. He thought he’d be a nervous wreck and he was sure that the nerves would set in later when he really started to think about it, but right now he just felt…okay. Tim felt pretty confident in many of the answers that he gave on the exam and was surprised by how much he remembered from Jason’s and Hood’s reviews. The two of them really helped him out with this, but he wouldn’t know exactly how much to thank them until he got his final grade. The grade that would determine everything for him and whether he got to stay or not.

                “Tim!”

                Tim turned at the sound of his name and saw Jason hurrying towards him. “Hi Jason.”

                “So how do you think you did?” he asked falling into step with him.

                “I think I did okay. I just hope it was enough to pass.”

                Jason slung his arm around Tim’s shoulders. “I’m sure you did great! Now, how about some lunch, huh? We can celebrate your soon to be success in lit class and the end of the semester!”

                Tim laughed. “Sure! I’m starving.”

                The two headed towards the dining hall. “Got any plans for the holiday break?”

                Tim sighed. “Not particularly. I’m not looking forward to having to go home for the holidays. I’m just happy that I can stay in the dorms and don’t have to stay at home with my family.”

                “You know,” Jason said, thoughtfully. “You’re the second person that I’ve heard something like that from.”

                Tim furrowed his brow. “Really? I didn’t realize that was so common. Who was it? Do I know them?”

                “Um…” Jason rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t think you’d know them. I’m pretty sure they don’t go to school here.”

                Tim shrugged. “Okay. Well when you see them next, tell them that if they need someone to cry over shitty families with, I’ll be here.”

                Jason chuckled. “Sure thing, Tim. I’ll be sure to pass on the message.”

 

~

 

                Tim hated undercover missions. He really did. He so wanted to kill Bruce for this, but at the same time he knew that the distraction was needed. Tim’s final grades were going to be released the next morning and he knew he needed something to take his mind off of it, no matter how horrifyingly embarrassing that thing was.

                Tim was currently standing in the middle of some shady bar in Crime Alley. He was wearing a sparkly red cocktail dress that had a slit up the side which nearly came to his hip. If the dress wasn’t bad enough, then the heels were. There were probably a good three or four inches and Tim had no idea how he was going to run if he needed to. He’d probably have to use his grapple gun and hope that was enough to get him to safety.

                Tim fiddled with the long, curly hair that made up his wig again. He knew that it was fit securely to his head, but he didn’t trust the damn thing enough that he knew it wouldn’t fall off spectacularly at the worst possible moment. It would be just his luck that some idiot would get ridiculously excited and grab his hair, exposing him as a fraud. Tim also felt a little naked without his domino mask on, but he made the best he could out of the makeup products that he was able to choose form.

                Tim had picked a bright red lipstick for his lips. He’d probably done a little too dramatic with the eyeshadow with such an intense and widespread smoky eye. Tim had used the eyeshadow as a sort of replacement domino. The dark blues and purples morphed into a constellation that framed his eyes in such a way that would position them in the center of the imaginary solar system that was being represented. Tim had finished his work with a pair of colored contact lenses that made his eyes illuminate a bright yellow instead of their natural blue. It was a bit unnerving in Tim’s opinion to have such an eye color, but he wasn’t about to complain if it kept his identity safe.

                Tim moved through the crowd, all the while keeping his eye on the target. He smiled at the men he passed. Many of them were looking at him hungrily and if he’d been trained any less, Tim was sure they would’ve seen the shudders of disgust ripple through him. He was honestly horrified by this whole situation, but he was doing what he had to do.

                “Well look who we have here,” a deep, sultry voice whispered in his ear. Tim knew that voice. “If it isn’t Babybird dressed up all nice and pretty.” 

                Tim turned to face Hood. He’d forgone his usual uniform and was dressed in a more casual business suit. His shirt was a deep red that was nearly identical to Tim’s dress. In place of the helmet that he so often wore, Hood was wearing a black domino. Tim wanted to pout at the injustice of it all.

                “How come you get to wear pants and a domino?” he whined.

                Hood chuckled and snaked his arm around Tim’s waist. “Don’t pout, babe. If this is what you look like in a dress, I can’t help wonder what you look like out of it.”

                It was more of a struggle suppressing the shiver that wanted to pass through Tim’s body than he cared to admit. “What are you doing here anyway?”

                Hood began walking Tim around the bar. “I’m on a mission. But after seeing you here, I’d hazard a guess that we’re probably after the same guy.”

                Tim shrugged. “Probably. That’s happened quite frequently over the past few months anyway.”

                Hood swung Tim into a corner. “Ooh, eyes on three.” That was all the warning Tim got before Hood was kissing him absolutely fiercely. It was intense and dirty and probably the best kiss Tim’s ever had in his entire life and he didn’t want it to end. Hood’s hand dug into his hip drawing a quiet moan from Tim. He wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck and held on for dear life.

                Hood broke away, leaving Tim gasping for air. “Way to be convincing there, babe. I was ready to throw you over my shoulder and take you back to my safehouse, but we should probably wrap up here first.”

                Tim just stared up at Hood trying to process his words. Hood looked down at him and grinned. He bowed his head and stole one more toe-curling kiss before pulling away.

                Hood stepped back and angled his body towards the opposite side of the bar. “Our target’s moving. The sooner we get to work, the sooner I’m getting you out of that dress.”

                Tim snapped out of his daze and stepped forward. “You wish.” He walked past Hood and stalked to the other side of the bar, following the group that he’d been watching through the back door and into the alley. Tim cracked his knuckles as Hood stepped up behind him. They had work to do.

 

~

 

                Tim sat in front of his computer nervously. He’d just made it back from patrol and was afraid to log into his student account to check the grades that had just been released. Tim had changed into a pair of sweets and a shirt, but hadn’t cleaned the makeup off his face yet. He and Hood had parted with a searing kiss and Tim even left a bright red lipstick mark on his cheek. He was happy with what had happened, but he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. He still liked Jason and nothing would change that.

                Tim took a deep breath and logged in. He hesitated with his cursor over the link to the PDF copy of his grades for this past semester. Tim bit his lip and clicked, immediately shutting his eyes. He heard a knock at his door.

                “Yeah?” he asked, eyes still shut tight.

                “Tim, have you looked at your grades yet?” Jason called through the door.

                “No. I’m nervous.”

                “Come let me in and we can look at them together. I’m sure that you did fine!”

                Tim sighed and turned away from his laptop. “Okay.” He walked over to his door, slightly wondering why Jason was up and at his door so early. He pulled open his door and the two of them stared at each other in shock. Mouths practically dropping open in unison. There, on the side of Jason’s cheek, was a bright red lipstick mark.

                Jason pointed a finger at him. “Tim! You…you’re…ummm…I…shit!”

                Tim pulled him into his room and slammed his door shut. He continued staring up at Jason, utterly shocked. “I can’t fucking believe this.”

                Jason laughed. “I know. These past few weeks I’d been so conflicted. I had a crush on both you and Red Robin and to find out that you’re the same person…it sure makes me feel a lot better and makes my job a lot easier.”

                Tim ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. “I’ve actually been experiencing the same thing. I can’t believe you were the one who I was confiding in this whole time. Wow, this is ironic. Especially after last night. And to think that Red Hood is such a fucking _nerd_!”

                Jason pulled Tim flush against him and pouted. “Hey, you appreciated me for my nerdiness. I did help you study for your lift final, didn’t I?” He leaned in close and whispered in Tim’s ear. “Does this mean that I finally get you in my bed?”

                Tim pondered the request. “I don’t know. I don’t think you deserve it. You’ve been keeping secrets from me, Jason.”

                Jason chuckled, lowly. “I haven’t been the only one keeping secrets.” He crushed their lips together and Tim absolutely melted into the other man. He wrapped his arms around his neck and tilted his head back, deepening the kiss and searching for more contact. It was as good as he’d remembered and Tim never wanted it to end.

                Tim whined when Jason pulled away. “Come on,” he said, nodding towards Tim’s laptop. “I want to see how you did. Especially since you got twice the amount of tutoring from me than I thought you did.”

                Tim sighed and snuggled further into Jason’s arms. “Fine.” He extricated himself from the other man’s limbs and walked over to his bed. He turned the laptop to face him. Tim’s eyes moved slowly down the page, reading over all of his other courses that he knew he’d passed first. Once he reached the bottom of the page, he let out a victory shout and pumped his fists in the air.

                Tim turned to Jason and ran over to him. “I passed! I passed! Thank you so much, Jason!” he said, launching himself into Jason’s arms. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I really couldn’t have.”

                “Anything for you, Babybird. Anything for you.” Jason cradled the back of Tim’s head and brought their lips together once again. It was one of the best kisses they’d shared, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback me, please! I followed a different type of style for this because of the timeline and I'd love to know what you thought so kudos/comments appreciated.
> 
> Come bug me: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> <3 MOLIM


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